The Eternal Power of True Love
by Marlyne
Summary: This is my entry for Adimra's mythological fanfic contest, in which the story, or characters must be based upon a mythological story. This V/B fic is based upon the Odyssey, and starts out the normal, mythological way, but goes on very differently. Scene:
1. Homesick King, Longing Prince

Odysseus and Penelopeia

THE ETERNAL POWER OF TRUE LOVE

PART ONE

HOMESICK KING, LONGING PRINCE

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, though I've used its characters for the story. I have also gotten some inspiration from the book: 'Odysseus, een man van verhalen' by Imme Dros. I want to say that I do not want to copy her story. It just inspired me to write it in this style.

A/N – Well, as you've all read in the summary, this is my mythological based story, based upon the Odyssey. The contest that this fic has been written for can be found at Adimra's homepage. The other entries for this contest are good too, you should all read them. As for this fic, it will (naturally) have changed names, and a different ending. I hope everyone will like it. The list of names is below. Hope you like the story. 

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Vegeta-Odysseus

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Bulma-Penelopeia

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Trunks-Telemachos

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Goku-Zeus (supreme god, god of thunder. Is known to sleep with Other girls than his wife all the time)

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Chi Chi-Hera (wife of Zeus (also his sister, weird but true), goddess of Marriage)

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Piccolo-Poseidon (god of the seas, brother of Zeus, creates all storm and earthquakes)

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Juunanagou- Hermes (messenger of the gods, son of Zeus, famous because he has killed Argos, but that's another story)

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Juuhachigou-Athena (goddess of wisdom and war, daughter of Zeus (only Zeus, she was born from his head)

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Lunch -Calypso (nymph)

"Greetings stranger, what brings you here? Are you here to visit the King? You are? For business? No? You are here to hear about the legend? The ancient story of Vegeta? Then come further; join me at this fire. For I will tell you, I'll tell you all about the legend. I have this story from my grandfather, who has heard it from his. And the grandfather of my grandfather was no one less than the shepherd Eumaios, who was the shepherd of King Vegeta, in the time that he did what he could to reclaim the throne and his mate… and succeeded. But that was long ago. Come on, drink a glass of wine with me. I will tell you all…"

***

Bulma sat staring into the fire, letting the tears that stained her face slowly dry by the heat. Trunks walked down, and felt a stab of pain in his heart at seeing his mother in this miserable state. "Mother…" Bulma looked up at her son. He was twenty years old now, which indicated that it had been twenty years since Vegeta had left for Troy. "You should go to bed, mother. It is late." He grabbed her hand to help her get up. She took it and gracefully raised. "Yeah, I should, shouldn't I?" she smiled sadly. Trunks could do nothing but stare at her retreating back as she walked off. For what could one say to a woman who has spent the last twenty years desperately waiting for her husbands' return? Once again, Trunks felt so helpless. He could find no words of comfort for her. 

He went downstairs, and frowned angrily as he already heard the sound of the men drinking, laughing and eating like pigs. They were all men of Ithaca, who wanted to marry his mother, to become King of the island. The other reason why they wanted to marry her was, of course, her beauty. His mentor oftenly told him that she hadn't aged at all since Vegeta left, twenty years ago. But Trunks knew that wasn't true. His mother had cried so much. She had aged herself with all those tears. But she was still beautiful, and men lusted after her. There were precisely one hundred and eight men, who had taken their camp inside the palace about four years ago, when they decided that, since Vegeta hadn't come back, he was most likely dead. And all hundred-eight of them thought that they were the man to marry the Queen. Trunks looked around the large dining room, and scowled at the men in there. They were behaving like pigs, as they did every evening. Getting drunk, talking dirty about the Queen, and making out with slaves. Trunks almost burst in fury, but knew that he on his own wasn't strong enough to get up and protest against these men brawling around in _his _palace. So he did nothing. And that was how the suitors knew him. Silent, easy to walk over, just a boy. Oh, how much would Trunks love to show them that there was no way that they could do this to the royal family of Ithaca, but he couldn't . If only his father had been there…

His father, King Vegeta, had gone off to fight in Troy twenty years ago, when Trunks had been just a baby. Vegeta had tried not to, but he had made a deal in the past that forced him to. And to think that he had only done it for Bulma. Trunks knew this story well. 

His father had gone to Sparta for business, and while he was there, all the men around where fawning over Helena. She was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Vegeta had gone there for business, and perhaps also because of curiosity. But, as soon as the King entered the gardens, his eyes immediately went to a young girl, who was standing under a lemon-tree. This girl had beautiful blue eyes, and soft, long, blue hair, and as she noticed the King standing there, smiled a small, gentle smile at him. Well, that did it for Vegeta. He had to have this girl. She would be the perfect wife. Then, suddenly, voices rose, a fight seemed ready to start. Vegeta turned his head, and saw that the men were about to battle over Helena. So he thought of a plan. He went over to the father of Helena, the King of Sparta, and told him that he could end the fight, under the condition that he would get to marry the girl in the garden. "Bulma? Of course. Just stop the fight!" Vegeta nodded and went over to the men. He told them that they should all swear an oath, that if the future husband of Helena would get in trouble because of the marriage, they would all jump in and help. And that, now that this oath was sworn, Helena could choose her own husband. The men agreed, and Helena chose Menelaos. 

And then, five years later, just after Trunks had been born, Helena had been taken by Paris, and all the men had been called back upon their promise, to go help Menelaos. Vegeta had cursed himself, for right at that time he just wanted to be with his mate and son, but an oath was an oath, and Vegeta had to keep his word. So he left to fight in Troy. That was twenty years ago.

And look what the royal house of Ithaca had been reduced to! A pigsty! But Trunks couldn't help it. He couldn't chase these men away, and he could not protect, nor comfort his mother. Not without the help of his father. But Trunks only knew his father from the stories. From all the songs the singers sang about his heroic deeds in Troy. The war of Troy had ended ten years ago. But his father had not returned… Therefor everyone believed him dead. But Trunks refused to give up hope. His father was a living legend, with _living _underlined. The Prince was sure that his father would come back. It could not be that his father, the man who was said to be the quickest one with his words and mind on this side of the planet, could die so easily. Vegeta was said to be a genius, and Trunks was sure he was, and that he would come back. But, for now, Trunks was alone on Ithaca, with crude behaving suitors for his mother all around him. Yesterday, he had sacrificed two deer and a goat to the goddess Juuhachigou, begging her to try and bring his father back. Nothing had happened. Disgusted with the scene in the dining room, Trunks stood up and went to his room, where he sat down at his desk. He sighed as he put his head in his hands. "Oh father, if only you were here…"

***

Vegeta sat lonesome on the rock at the shore. He stared out over the sea, and growled. Even he, King Vegeta, the one who was famous and infamous about his quick mind and great plans, had no idea how to get off of this island. Sure, he had liked Lunch at first; he'd liked how she pleased him, and cooked for him, and said that she loved him. And of course he was graceful that she had saved him from the raging sea, but he had been stuck on this island for seven long years now. Seven years had passed since he was first saved here by the nymph called Lunch, and Vegeta longed for his home, Ithaca. Sometimes he was so homesick he would throw up. Sometimes he was so mad that he just wanted to blast Lunch into nothingness. But the tricky nymph had cast a spell upon the island, which disabled him into using ki. And Piccolo, god of the seas, had taken his power to fly. But that had partially been Vegeta's own fault, for only a fool would challenge the gods. He remembered that well, it was ten years ago, when Troy had finally been beaten, by _his _ingenious plan. 

Afterwards, he had been standing on a cliff, gazing over the sea, still under the flush of victory, and had suddenly shouted out: "HAH! Now you can all see that I, Vegeta, am smarter, quicker of mind, than even Piccolo!!! With my great intelligence I am superior to even the god of the seas!!" After this, the sky had darkened and a storm had started on the sea. A voice had thundered: "_YOU, VEGETA, HAVE GONE TO FAR!! NO ONE CHALLENGES THE GOD OF THE ETERNAL OCEANS!! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS! YOU WILL SUFFER! I WILL MAKE SURE THAT, AFTER YOU LEAVE TROY, YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE LAND OF YOUR BELOVED ITHACA AGAIN!!" _Then, the storm had stopped, and Vegeta started to wonder if it had been his imagination, when he suddenly felt a strange twinkle in his ki, and found out, to his horror, that the god of the seas had taken his power to fly. Vegeta was just about to curse the god, when he realized that that would only make it worse. And what about the other threat? The one that said that he would never see Ithaca again? Vegeta had prayed, and had made amends to the god, and sacrificed sheep to him. But now, ten years later, Vegeta knew that it had all been invain. He would never see Ithaca again. 

And, as she did so often when she saw that Vegeta was getting homesick, Lunch walked over to him, and began to kiss him all over, and started to undress him. Vegeta snarled and tried to pry her off, but wasn't strong enough to do so, because of the ki-blocking abilities on the island. That was another thing that Vegeta had been fooled by. At first he had thought Lunch a nice, sweet, submissive nymph, but he soon found out that she had total control over him. And there was nothing he could do about it…

***

High upon the mountain Olympus, at the weekly meeting of the gods…

Goku came walking in, way too late, face flushed. Chi Chi glared up at him angrily. "Where have you been this time? No, don't say, it was that Callisto, wasn't it?" Chi Chi screamed. "What kind of supreme god are you, Goku! Picking up mortals like that!" she shouted. "Yes, daddy! I don't want you to take girls out of my followers like that! They are supposed to be virgins! Now I will have to punish her, and she has always been such a sweet girl." Diana said, looking hurt. Chi Chi yelled again: "You keep on ruining my reputation like this! What kind of a goddess of marriage would I be if my own husband keeps on cheating on me!!" Goku scratched his head. "Oh… hum.. Sorry Chi Chi, Diana, I didn't mean to. It was nothing. She was just…" Chi Chi lifted up her hand. "Shut up about it." Goku closed his mouth again. Piccolo coughed. "Well, now we have this matrimony-fight straightened out, I'd like to go on with the meeting." Goku turned back to the table, and laughed sheepishly. "Sure." Chi Chi just turned around, crossed her arms over her chest and sent an angry glare to Goku. "Why have we called for this meeting in the first place, brother? I have other things to do!" Piccolo asked Goku. "Well, my daughter has called for this meeting, so let her do the talking." Goku answered, smiling at his favorite daughter, Juuhachigou. Juuhachigou smiled back, and then turned to the room. 

"I have a request today, concerning the man called Vegeta. I believe you all know that he has been away from his wife and son for nearly twenty years, and I believe that he should really come home. His son, Trunks has made me sacrifices, and begged me to bring his father back. According to my opinion, Vegeta has been punished long enough, and should be reunited with his family. I ask of Piccolo to finally let go of his stubborn anger, and let the King of Ithaca go home." Piccolo scowled. "He has not only insulted me, but has also burned out the one eye of my son Polyfemos. I will not let him get away with this!!" Goku hushed him. "Come on, brother, you should loosen up about it a little. You were about to punish Polyfemos for his disobedience anyways, so now Vegeta has done it for you. So what? And the silly little insult has been paid for don't you think?" Piccolo just growled. Goku was the supreme god, so his decision would be final. "I give you my blessing daughter, you are allowed to do what is necessary to get the King of Ithaca home. Juunanagou, you will go to Lunch and tell her to let Vegeta go." Juunanagou nodded. "Yes father." "Everyone is dismissed." All left, except for Chi Chi, who was still mad at her husband. "Well, Goku, I'm very mad at you. You, of course, understand that I will have to punish her. I will rob her of her beauty." Goku nodded indifferently. "Whatever." "But, as for you," Chi Chi continued seductively, "You will, of course have to be punished too." Goku grinned as he blushed. Chi Chi took his hand and led him away. It is amazing how easily gods make things up.

Juuhachigou stood before the palace, and was surprised at the poor state it was in. She had disguised herself as Mentes of Tafos. When after an hour no slave had come to show her in, she just went in herself. She walked over to the window where Prince Trunks sat. "Greetings, Prince Trunks. I am here to ask for your hospitality as long as I'm in the city for business." Trunks stood up and grabbed her hand. "Of course my friend. I will have a room prepared for you immediately." Trunks called for a servant girl to make a bed for the guest. "I will have to apologize for the crude behavior of the other 'guests', they have invaded the palace in the hope that my mother, the Queen will marry one of them. But, since she refuses to do that until she is sure that my father, the King is dead, they have lived here for the past four years, and we cannot get them out." 

Juuhachigou acted like she was struck with surprise. "What? And may I ask, Prince Trunks, why you just don't throw them out yourself? As long as your father is gone, you are the master of the house, and have the right to do so." Trunks bowed his head. "But, I'm only on my own. I cannot get rid of one hundred and eight men all by myself!" Juuhachigou shook her head. "You don't have to. Just tell them to leave and announce that you will go search for your father. Say that you will take over the house as long as he is gone, and that they have to leave. Even if they don't, they will still know that you have an opinion now, that you no longer are a little boy." Trunks nodded. "Thank you, Mentes of Tafos, for this encouragement. I will do as you have said." Juuhachi nodded in confirmation, and left the room. Trunks stayed behind, deep in thought. _This man has just talked to me as a father would. And I believe he was right. I should stand up for my rights and finally do something to get father back!! _ And with a determined look on his face, Trunks stood up to call the people of the island together for a meeting. 

***

And, how is this for a starter? I'm not the person to not enter a contest because the other entries are so good, so you'll just have to deal with me. From now on, the parts will be displayed on Adimra's homepage one day before I upload them onto FFDN, so all you guys who can't wait, check her site. If it ain't there, it ain't on FFDN. I hope you all liked it so far. To all you writers out there: Enter the contest. It is really fun, and I would love to read all your mythological stories. Love you!! - Marlyne


	2. Finally Home

Odysseus and Penelopeia

THE ETERNAL POWER OF TRUE LOVE

PART TWO

FINALLY HOME

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, though I've used its characters for the story. I have also gotten some inspiration from the book: 'Odysseus, een man van verhalen' by Imme Dros. I want to say that I do not want to copy her story. It just inspired me to write it in this style.

A/N – Here is my mythological based story, based upon the Odyssey. It will have changed names, and a different ending. I hope everyone will like it. The list of names is below. Hope you like the story. 

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Vegeta-Odysseus

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Bulma-Penelopeia

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Trunks-Telemachos

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Goku-Zeus (supreme god, god of thunder. Is known to sleep with Other girls than his wife all the time)

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Chi Chi-Hera (wife of Zeus (also his sister, weird but true), goddess of Marriage)

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Piccolo-Poseidon (god of the seas, brother of Zeus, creates all storm and earthquakes)

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Juunanagou- Hermes (messenger of the gods, son of Zeus, famous because he has killed Argos, but that's another story)

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Juuhachigou-Athena (goddess of wisdom and war, daughter of Zeus (only Zeus, she was born from his head)

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Lunch -Calypso (nymph)

All the men of the island hurried over to the palace. For the first time in twenty years there had been a national assembly announced. When they had arrived at the meeting they were surprised to see the Prince standing proudly, patiently waiting until everyone was seated before he opened the meeting. "Men of Ithaca. I have called upon this meeting to have you all witness this great crime that has befallen the Royal House of Ithaca. Men who call themselves suitors of Queen Bulma, have invaded the palace and are behaving ruthlessly. Until there is proof that my mother is a widow she is not allowed to remarry. But still, these men are living in our palace and eating all our food. Men of Ithaca, be my witness as I order these pigs to leave our house, to leave me and my mother alone." As he finished, one of his mother's suitors, Yamcha, rose, and started talking. "What are you talking about, you brat!" he fumed. "Our entire youth is going by as we have been waiting for the Queens decision for the past four years. Don't you think we'd rather go out, and have fun with girls? But instead, we stay in the palace, waiting for your mother. And about your father, just forget him. That man is long dead, and then, even if he did get home, what would he do against one hundred and eight men? Even the Legendary Vegeta will not be strong enough to stop us, that is, if he wouldn't be rotting at the bottom of the ocean by now! Just shut up about it, brat!" Trunks growled, as he got up once again. "What do you mean, waiting for my mother? You are having your own pretty little fun with our slaves aren't you? And I swear that my father is not dead. He is alive and he _will _kill you, Yamcha. All of you. I will go out on the sea myself, and I will bring back my father. Who will give me a ship?" No one spoke. It was deadly silent. Then Yamcha stood up with a smirk and announced that the meeting was over. Trunks ran away, off to the beach, tears staining his eyes, as he sat upon a rock and sobbed in fear, anger and humiliation. Juuhachigou flew down at him. "What's that, Trunks? Tears? You shouldn't cry! You did wonderful!! You showed everyone that you are no little boy, but a man, and a son of Vegeta at that. Come on, I will help you and get you a ship. Don't be sad. We will go together to retrieve your father." Trunks looked up at her in surprise. "Holy Juuhachigou! Goddess of Wisdom!" Juuhachi smiled at him. "Yes, young Prince. I am Juuhachigou. And I will help you find your father." Trunks' eyes widened. "So Toussan is still alive?" Juuhachigou slapped a hand against her mouth. "Oh no!! I wasn't supposed to tell you!!" she then lowered her head. "Yes, he is still alive." Trunks almost popped in joy. "Mother will be so happy!!" Juuhachi shot up, and grabbed his arm to pull him back down. "No, Trunks, don't! You cannot tell this to anyone. Please!" Trunks looked at her. The young goddess looked so utterly defeated that she had let this important information slip, that he calmed himself down and sat next to her again, staring over the sea. "I will not tell anyone, great Juuhachigou. I promise I will keep this a secret, no matter how hard that will be." She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you. Now, I will ready a ship and we will leave tomorrow. Tell your mother you'll be back soon, but do not, under no circumstances, mention me." Trunks nodded. "Thank you, Juuhachigou." He smiled at her. She brilliantly smiled back at him. He then jumped off and flew back to the palace, leaving the goddess alone with her thoughts at the beach.

***

"But mother!" Trunks desperately tried to calm down his sobbing mother. "No Trunks, please! You're all I have left. Don't make me loose you too!" "But mother!! You have not lost father!! I'm sure he is still somewhere out there!!" Bulma sadly shook her head. "Sometimes I'm not so sure anymore…" she whispered. Trunks grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Mom!! Don't!! Never loose hope!! Please…" He looked deep into her sad, blue eyes, that had known so much love in her life, and so much pain in the past twenty years. "Never loose hope…" A tiny sparkle of hope settled in those sad eyes. Then she firmly stood up. "You're right. He must still be alive. I know he is." She then proudly walked across the dining room over to her quarters, ignoring all the lustfilled glares and grinning remarks she got. Trunks smiled. Soon, these bastards would all be dead, not even knowing what hit them.

***

"Juunanagou? What brings you here?" Lunch asked in surprise as the god landed in front of her. "I think you know very well what I have come for, Lunch." He spoke sternly. "Awww, come on!! Do I have to? He's so… yummy." Her whine turned into a passionate remark as she looked out the window to the warrior that once again sat on his rock, staring over the sea. But Juunana stood his ground. "Yes, Lunch. You have to let him go. The gods have decided that it is time for him to return to his kingdom." Lunch knew very well that she could not go against the will of the gods. So she walked outside, and put her arms around Vegeta's waist as she softly kissed him. "Vegeta… the gods have decided that I should let you go. You can take my ship and go home." Vegeta jumped and turned around. Behind Lunch, he saw Juunanagou standing, who nodded in confirmation. He then raised his arms to the sky and looked up at the clouds. "All the immortal gods of the Olympus, I thank you for finally hearing my prayers and letting me go." He then turned back to Lunch as she tried to seduce him into one last kiss, but he snarled and pushed her away. "Let go of me bit.." he shut up, not wanting to get the gods anger onto him again. He ran over to the shore where a small ship lay, just small enough to be sailed by one man. "Finally," he gasped, not quite able to grasp that he was free. And then, with one last backward look at the god and the nymph, he boarded it and quickly sailed off.

"Well," Lunch purred, as she turned around to Juunanagou, "care for a glass of wine?" Juunanagou got the hint. "Gladly." He replied as he also turned around and followed her back to the small house.

***

Vegeta sighed as he ate his last bit of bread. He had been floating on the oceans for the last few weeks, and he could already see the vague outline of Skylla and Charybdis. Let me tell you about these two. Skylla lives in a cave in a mountain, she has the voice of a puppy, but she looks horrible: she has twelve legs, all with long, black nails, and six long necks. On every neck is a gruesome head, with amazingly sharp teeth, three rows of them, and with every head, she eats one of the men of any bypassing ship. The mountain across of hers is the home of Charybdis. Three times a day she sucks in all the water in her surroundings, till the black bottom of the ocean is visible. Then, in a horrible vortex, she spits it all out again. Anyone who is near her when she starts drinking, is undoubtedly doomed. 

Vegeta had passed by these two monsters seven years ago, before he landed on Lunches island, and now, to get back, he would have to pass them again. And, indeed, to his horrible fear Charybdis had already started sucking up all the water around her, and Vegeta's ship was inevitable being sucked towards her. Just in time, without any hope of survival, he grabbed the branch of a tree that grew upon her cave, and held on for dear life. Luckily for him, Skylla didn't even notice him. He softly breathed in relief. Maybe, for once in his life the gods were with him. He hung like that for nearly five hours, still not having the power to fly, until Charybdis started spitting out the water. As soon as Vegeta saw some remains of his ship floating around in the water, he jumped for it, and gratefully drifted off with the water. He climbed ontop of the raft that was left of his ship and paddled till he passed out from exhaustion. 

***

Trunks stood staring over the sea. He hadn't seen land in a month, and, to be honest, didn't have the faintest idea where he was going. But everytime he asked Juuhachigou she would just tell him to keep this course, and have patience. So he was steering his ship as he saw a small raft floating, being tossed about by the waves. "Tien!! Have whoever is on that raft brought aboard!" he yelled to his first man. "Yes, sir!" Tien shouted back, and grabbed some men to lift the shipwrecked person out of the water. Juuhachigou smiled secretly, as she turned around and left for the Olympus. Her work was done for now.

Tien came running up to Trunks, out of breath by the speed he had been running with. "Prince Trunks!! This you have to see!!" Trunks raised an eyebrow. What could be so special about this person? Then his face lightened. Maybe the man knew something about his father! He ran over to the cabin where the man would be, and gasped. That hair… those features… that undoubtedly proud stature. "Tou-tou-toussan?" he whispered. The man that calmly sat at his table lifted his head. "Trunks." Tears filled Trunks' eyes as he ran up to his father, who pulled him into a tight hug. Twenty long years, damn… his whole life he had waited for this man, and finally, finally he was there. Trunks almost choked on his tears. Words like love, pride, joy were all terrible understatements to describe the situation, to describe Trunks' feelings. His father held him, standing motionless, letting the boy sob, as only one single tear of joy left his own eyes. This was it. The sole purpose in Trunks' life. His one dream. His father. After what seemed like hours, Vegeta softly let go of his son. "Let me look at you." The boy had grown to be quite tall, with his mother's eyes, his grandfather's hair, and unmistakably _his _features. Vegeta could also sense his high powerlevel, and he felt his heart swell in pride for his son. "You are strong. That is good." Trunks smiled at him. "Thanks." Vegeta then let go of him, and sat down, motioning Trunks to do so too. "Now tell me. How is your mother doing? Is she well?" He bowed slightly forward, anxious to hear how his mate was doing. Trunks took a deep breath. "It started when I was about eleven years old. She heard that the war in Troy had ended, and after a year you still hadn't returned. She started crying herself to sleep every night, sobbing, begging the gods for your return. Then, about four years ago some men of the island proclaimed you dead, and took their living in the palace, proclaiming to be her suitors. I…" he bowed his head in shame. "I have not been able to chase them away." His head shot up and he began slowly backing away as a blue and red aura began to swirl around him. "Toussan?" This snapped his father out of it. With a low growl that seemed to erupt from the back of his throat he sat down again. "We will deal with them when we get home. Now, tell me about how you found me." "Well…" Trunks began to laugh nervously till he heard Juuhachi's voice in his head. "It's okay. Go ahead and tell him." "Kay. This is gonna be a long story, Toussan…"

***

Bulma sat in her room, head rested in her hands as she was once again worrying herself sick. "Vegeta's gone, Trunks' gone… Now I'm all alone with those damned pigs downstairs. Well, I'll show them that they will have to be hundred times the men they are now to be even worthy to look at me." She knew that this was an idiotic plan, but suddenly she felt like throwing all her charms out in front of them, and show them that she was way better than any of them. Oh, Vegeta would've liked that, to see all those men fawning over her, while she was, and would forever be _his. _And he hers. And Bulma called for some of her servants to dress her up and went downstairs. She smirked evilly as the entire hall suddenly silenced when she entered. All the men stopped eating and whatever they were doing to look at her. She looked gorgeous and everywhere men started whispering. (This is Imme Dros's)

"There she is… Oh Bulma, beautiful Bulma…"

"Oh, if only I could chase her around the fields!"

"She is a goddess. Fire underneath ice."

"Once I have her, she will shriek."

"I will marry Bulma."

"Creamy like Diana herself, oh so creamy."

"I'm the man for the Queen."

"I will show her who's on top!"

"Marron is tasty too, I will have her as well as the Queen."

"There is no woman like Bulma."

"What a body…"

"If she would take me to her bed right now…"

"Graceful ankles, slender hands."

"I will squash her."

"I have to marry her."

"Even her voice turns me on…"

"She is so beautiful…"

"She has breasts like melons."

"I love that woman."

Bulma snickered. Those idiots. Like she would ever. She was Vegeta's and Vegeta's only. And after walking in the gardens for a while she ascended the stairs again and went back to her rooms, a smug smirk written all over her beautiful features. 

***

"Now, Trunks, we have to act very carefully. We have to get them all together in a room or so, then close that room and kill them. I have just the plan. You organize a match in shooting. Say that any man that can bend the bow and shoot an arrow underneath twelve axes can marry Bulma. I will enter the contest myself in disguise. As soon as they realize who I am, we will already have them locked in and I can finally get my revenge." Trunks nodded. "I will go to the palace now to announce that match, and coordinate it. If you will then come to the palace at about four in the afternoon, then it will all be organized, and I will have some of the slaves that are still loyal remove the weapons from the wall and lock all the doors, as well as activate the ki-shield to protect the walls from our blasts. "Good. Then I will see you again this afternoon, Trunks." Trunks left the ship and quickly flew off to the palace. 

"I want all of you to listen very carefully. My mother has finally decided to choose herself a husband. Anyone who can bend Vegeta's bow and shoot an arrow in a straight flight through twelve axes, will be the one to marry my mother." All the men roared happily. "Finally. Finally I will be able to prove my worth and win myself a Queenie." Yamcha, the cockiest one of the suitors said, as he was the first one to grab for the bow, trying to bend it and make it ready to shoot. But he failed miserably. He simply didn't have the strength. The other suitors in the room laughed, but that laughter soon ceased, as one by one, the men failed to even bend the bow, let alone shoot with it. Finally, all had tried, and all had failed. "Can I have a try?" a voice the men knew all too well suddenly sneered, as the main door blast open, and in came Vegeta, standing tall in all his glory. Before the men had time to run through this door, it was locked from the outside. "K-king Vegeta!! You are back, my King." Vegeta chuckled at this pathetic attempt from Jeice to get back into his favor. "Yes I am, Jeice, aren't you just too happy to see me?" he mocked in a sweet voice, shooting Marron who sat on his lap through her chest, killing Jeice with the same blast. "Toussan?" Trunks asked. Vegeta just nodded at him, and both began their massacre under the suitors. Finally, finally they would pay. King Vegeta was back and they were gonna feel it. Shortly that is. Vegeta laughed maniacally as he shot all the men, one by one, making them suffer before they perished. They never even had a chance. 

Finally, silence settled. In the middle of the pool of blood and smoking remains of bodies stood a panting Trunks and a smirking Vegeta. The King had reclaimed his throne. Now to reclaim his mate. He ordered the slaves outside to open the doors and go clean up the mess. He then softly climbed the stairs, walking over to where their bedroom was. Slowly he entered it. "Bulma?" the woman sitting by the woman slowly turned. "No. This cannot be. Ve-vegeta?" She whispered, staring at him. "My sweet, sweet Bulma." He whispered. She shrieked as she ran towards him. "It _is _you!! Oh Vegeta!! Finally!!" and sobbing she ran up to him. Only inches parted them and then suddenly, Bulma doubled over in pain, "Vegeta!! Help me!!" and she fell to the ground. "BULMA!!" He ran up to her and gathered her in his arms. "BULMA!!" She forced herself to open her eyes, and slowly lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "Ve-vegeta. You're finally back… I'm so… happy… I… love you… don't forget…" and she became sickening limp, as her head slowly dropped to the side. The Kings grieving howl shook the entire palace. "NOOOOO!!!" No. no. no. This could not be. Not Bulma. Not his fiery little onna. No. He held her lifeless body tightly in his arms, holding on to her for dear life, as if she would return if he only held her tightly enough. "Onna." But she did not. "Bulma!" His mate was dead. "ONNA!" Before he could even kiss her, or hold her, she had died. "Bulma." Now his life had no meaning anymore. 

"Toussan!!" Trunks yelled as he ran into the room. He then stopped abruptly as he saw what his father was holding. "Mother." He suddenly snapped his head aside at the increase in power, and saw his father preparing a kiblast to fire at his own heart. "No, Toussan!! Please don't!!" His father turned towards him, eyes filled with grief, mind numb, and spoke with a horribly calm voice. "My life has no meaning without her, Trunks. I'm sorry." _NO!! _a voice suddenly sounded in his head. "Who said that!!" 

A/N Now don't tell me you don't like cliffhangers… You don't? Well that's too bad. I'll get the next part out ASAP. – Marlyne

REVIEW ME!!! REVIEW ME!!! REVIEW ME!! REVIEW ME!! REVIEW ME!!! REVIEW ME!


	3. The Fata-sisters

THE ETERNAL POWER OF TRUE LOVE

THE ETERNAL POWER OF TRUE LOVE

PART THREE

THE FATA-SISTERS

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, though I've used its characters for the story. I have also gotten some inspiration from the book: 'Odysseus, een man van verhalen' by Imme Dros. I want to say that I do not want to copy her story. It just inspired me to write it in this style.

A/N – Here is my mythological based story, based upon the Odyssey. It will have changed names, and a different ending. I hope everyone will like it. The list of names is below. Hope you like the story. 

__

Vegeta-Odysseus

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Bulma-Penelopeia

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Trunks-Telemachos

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Goku-Zeus (supreme god, god of thunder. Is known to sleep with Other girls than his wife all the time)

__

Chi Chi-Hera (wife of Zeus (also his sister, weird but true), goddess of Marriage)

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Piccolo-Poseidon (god of the seas, brother of Zeus, creates all storm and earthquakes)

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Juunanagou- Hermes (messenger of the gods, son of Zeus, famous because he has killed Argos, but that's another story)

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Juuhachigou-Athena (goddess of wisdom and war, daughter of Zeus (only Zeus, she was born from his head)

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Lunch -Calypso (nymph)

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Don't kill yourself, Vegeta. Listen to your god first. "Goku?" _Yes. Bulma's death was not normal. She shouldn't have died, but I fear that there is another plot, just made against you. It seems that my brother Piccolo has convinced the Fata-sisters to cast a spell upon Bulma, or rather said upon you two. To lift the curse and get Bulma back to life you must defeat each of the Fata-sisters. _"How do I do that? I bet they are all immortal, just as all you fucking gods and nymphs are." _Watch you tongue, Vegeta!! And yes, you are right, they are immortal. There are three of them. The first sister you must defeat in strength. The second in wisdom. The third I cannot tell. _"And how do I find these witches?" _I will send Juunanagou to guide you to their cave. From there, you will be on your own. It is your only chance to free Bulma's soul. Will you do it? _ "Yes, of course. Thank you." Trunks eyed his father suspiciously when the man got up, lifting his mother's body, softly lying her down on the bed. He planted a soft kiss on her still warm lips, brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, and softly left the room, Trunks close behind him. "Toussan? What happened?" But his father did not answer him, but walked out into the gardens, sat under a tree at the pond and closed his eyes in silent meditation. Trunks stared at him, but did not dare to ask it again. Suddenly he felt two hands on his shoulders. Surprised he turned around. "Juu-chan!!" "Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't address a goddess so informally." She playfully scolded. They both sat down on the rim of a wall. "What is going on with Toussan?" he asked her, confident that she would know. And surely enough, she did.

***

"So Juunanagou will arrive here shortly, to show your father the way to their cave. From then on, he will be on his own. I'm afraid that you are not allowed to help him." Trunks clenched his teeth. "But what if he can't do it on his own? What if he will need my help?" Juuhachi shook her head. "You cannot assist him in this, Trunks-chan. You will have to have some faith in your father. This is something he'll have to do alone." She stared into his eyes with a stern look, trying to convince him not to try and do something foolish. Trunks stared back, but finally bowed his head in defeat. "Okay, you win. I will stay here." Juuhachi nodded contently. Suddenly Trunks grinned. "Did you just call me Trunks-_chan_?" he asked, a playful tone in his voice, while he grabbed her hand. She just smiled at him, glad he felt better now. 

***

"Juunanagou." Vegeta said, already feeling the presence of the god near him. "Yes Vegeta. I am here to guide you to the Fata-sisters, but that you already know, don't you?" "Yeah." "All right, let's go then." He jumped into the air, ready to blastoff, but stopped when he saw that Vegeta was by no means getting ready to follow him. "What is it?" he asked, surprised about the King's behavior. Vegeta looked at him, and growled a little. "That…. Piccolo…" he wasn't planning on feeling Piccolo's wrath again, so he left the bastard-bit out, "…took away my power to fly." Juunanagou laughed. "Oh! If that's all!" and he shot a little beam at Vegeta, which looked like a ki-blast, but was not. Vegeta was overjoyed as he noticed that his ability to fly had come back. It was like the return of an old friend. "Come on, let's go now!" Juunanagou urged him on. Vegeta's face sobered, and after a brief glance to his son, he blasted off after Juunana, the red flare of his aura trailing behind him. 

When they finally stet foot on the ground again, they were but in the middle of nowhere. They were standing in a desert, which was not hot, and all Vegeta could see was cold sand, the color of it somewhere between gray and brown, and, at his feet a small brook, only and inch deep with crystal-clear water that flowed over the rocky bottom with a soft tinkling sound. It was the only sound in his surroundings, which were too silent to be natural. Then, Juunanagou's voice broke through the silence. "I can't go further than this, Vegeta, You'll have to do it on your won from here." Utterly surprised, Vegeta turned around to face him. He forgot to keep up his snarling tone, as he spoke to the god. "What? But… but… There's nothing here!" Juunanagou looked at him as if he was searching something. Finally, he seemed to have found it. "Just follow the brook, and it will lead you to it. Whatever you see, or think you're seeing, don't leave this stream. It ends in the cave of the Fata-sisters, which I have described to you, so you will know when you're there." Vegeta's eyes narrowed, for he did not think this enough information, but the moment he opened his mouth to speak, the god vanished, letting one more thought echo in Vegeta's head. _Sorry, Vegeta. I can't say anything more. Good luck! _ Vegeta snarled, but eventually shrugged it off, and began to follow the brook. "This'd better not take too long…" he muttered. At that moment, to his left, a cave appeared; looking like Juunana had described the cave of the fata-sisters to be. Vegeta almost went over to it, but then remembered what Juunanagou had said. He firmly shook his head. He would not go in there. According to the god, there were dangers in there, which Vegeta was not sure he could master. So he walked on, following the brook all the way, occasionally dropping to the ground to drink some water. One, two days later his next test came. There was a lion standing right in front of him, roaring loudly in an attempt to scare Vegeta away from the brook. But, since this brook was the King's only point of orientation in the emptiness, he knew that if he were to be chased away, he would get hopelessly lost. So, as the lion slowly approached him, Vegeta started powering up. But this lion was no normal beast, and it attacked even before Vegeta could focus his ki into a blast. Stuck in this position, there was only one thing to do, and he grabbed the lion by the tail, throwing it to the ground, and immediately jumped ontop of it, pushing it to the ground, and then quickly breaking it's neck. Panting, the King stood over the beast, giving it one last glance before he ki-fried it, and ate it. 

Trunks bowed over his mother's body, grabbing her hand and giving it a small kiss. The hand and the rest of her body were frightening cold, as her soul had already traveled to the 'other side', to Hades. But Juuhachigou had explained to him, that by a lucky twist of fate, his father could be able to bring back her spirit, by defeating three demon-sisters. He slowly sighed as he turned around to Juuhachigou, who have him a small, reassuring smile. At least she was there to comfort him a little. He laid his mothers hand back on the bed, as he walked out, and softly closed the door. 

Vegeta once again dropped by the side of the brook, as he drank its sparkling water. He grunted. At least he wouldn't have to die of thirst! That really would have been a death unworthy of a king. No, Vegeta had other concerns. Food, most generally. Three days had passed since the lion, and he was very hungry. He really needed food, and fast. He walked on, and on, and on, until he suddenly saw a cave, identical to the first one he'd seen. Just as he began to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him, he heard voices inside. And as he listened closer, they couldn't possibly be the voices of some demon-witches. These were clearly the voices of young girls. While his mind told him to walk on, his hunger forced him to call out. Immediately the voices stopped. Then, softly, unsure a girl answered. "Who are you?" "I am King Vegeta of Ithaca." He heard a lot of whispering, and then, slowly, the girls came out, all carrying food. Apparently they had just been cooking, and Vegeta's mouth began to water at the sight of all that food. "I have been walking along this brook for three days straight, without any food. Would you girls be so kind as to give me some of your food?" he asked, way politer than he normally would, but these girls happened to be the only ones with food out here, so he had to be nice. The girls giggled shyly, and came closer, offering him the food. He ate until he thought he'd die if he'd eat one more bite, and then approached one of them, the richest clad girl, and grabbed her by the arm to thank her for everything. But she hissed, and to his surprise her body began to change. Her arms turned into roughly feathered wings, her mouth and nose grew together as a beak, her eyes narrowed and her foot tore out of her shoes, changing into claws. She was turning into a vulture, a vicious vulture, ready to attack him. With a deafening shriek she jumped him, and attacked him using her newly grown beak and claws. He quickly managed to throw her off, just in time to swat of another vulture. He rapidly did five backflips to get at a safe distance, and immediately shot a huge beam into the group of metamorphosing girls. After an enormous explosion, there was nothing left. Not of the cave, and not of the group of vultures. With a sigh of relief, Vegeta turned around and followed the brook again. It couldn't possibly be far anymore.

And indeed, less than tree hours later, the brook ended. In front of Vegeta lay a huge boulder, half covering a well, from which the water of the brook sprang. But, to his great surprise, behind the brook lay, instead of the cave Juunana had said it to be, a temple, completely made of a ivory whit material. The King looked up in awe. This temple was even larger tan the famous palace of Menelaos, and more beautiful than any temple he'd ever seen. The pillars were in a Corinthian style, and the frieze contained the most beautiful figures describing old myths and legends. It didn't look like the liar of demons at all. More like a house for the gods. Slowly Vegeta entered it, being careful not to make a sound. When he came into the temple, he found himself in a great hall, which was completely empty save for a large stone slab. He went over to it, and bowed slightly down to read it. Here's what it said:

__

"Stranger, you are not welcome here, but you must have come here with a very strong purpose. The fact that you are reading this proves that you have overcome all the spells upon your way here. Now, be sure to have totally made up your mind before going through with this battle. This is the temple of the Fata-sisters. To fulfill your purpose, you have to defeat all three of them. First you will have to battle Bia in strength. Then you will have to outsmart Sophia in wisdom. And finally you will have to face Ero. Now, if you are still sure of this, then come further and face the Fata-sisters."

Any other visitor would have been intimidated by these words, and would've thought about turning around, but this thought didn't even cross Vegeta's mind. This was his only chance to get his beloved back, which he would not let go. Confidently, he strode towards the door behind the slab. As he burst in, he was majorly surprised. The first fata-sister, Bia, stood before him, but she was by no means the cackling old demon-witch he'd expected. Before him stood a young woman, with dark brown hair and eyes, in a white dress much like the dresses the rich women on his island wore. "What, King Vegeta? Don't tell me you're surprised by what you see!! Surely you knew that us nymphs can do anything with our powers!" Vegeta immediately recovered, as he snarled at her. "Of course I knew, you stupid witch!!" She just grinned. "Well, let's fight then." And without another word she attacked him. Vegeta quickly jumped aside, dodging a punch while in the same movement blocking a kick aimed for his head. Bia laughed. "Very good, King Vegeta!" and jumped up to the ceiling to the spot where Vegeta had been hovering just seconds ago. She then swiftly turned around, barely blocking Vegeta's elbow, which was flying towards her neck. She caught it, and threw him into the wall. Vegeta pulled himself out of the wall, hiding his snarl, instead he smirked at her. "That all you got?" She just smiled. This time, Vegeta took the offensive, shooting ki-blasts all around the room, Bia barely dodging them. Smirking, he sent a few more, and while the witch was busy blocking and dodging then, he suddenly appeared right behind her, and backhanded her with all his strength, sending her flying into the floor. Now, it was her turn to growl, as she whiped some blood from her lip. "Bastard" she hissed. He just chuckled, and flew over to her, shooting ki-blasts, and kicking her harshly. Ten minutes later, he stood over her body. "Well, I sure hope your demon-sisters will be more of a challenge." He snickered, while kicking her to the far wall. She suddenly grinned. "You really think you're done with me, don't you?" He cursed. "What the Hell do you mean?" he shouted. The witch chose that moment to vanish. Immediately after, Vegeta felt a stab of pain in the side, and found himself flying into the wall. He pulled his body out of the wall, and scanned the room with his eyes, searching for his opponent. But the witch was nowhere to be seen. She had cast a spell making herself invisible. "What the…" Vegeta never got to finish this sentence, as Bia began a vicious assault of punches, kicks and ki-blasts onto the King. And Vegeta could do nothing to defend himself, because he could not see the attacks coming. He was mercilessly pummeled into the ground. Finally, finally he got an idea. He would seek her out by her ki. He would sense where the demon was, and would fight her that way. So, the king closed his eyes, concentrated, kicked backwards, and was rewarded with an angry scream and a satisfying crunch. And this way, eyes closed, completely focused on his senses, Vegeta defeated the first fata-sister. He had proven himself superior to them in strength. He left the groaning witch on the floor, knowing that she was immortal anyways. He then walked into the hall again, and heard a soft chuckle as he walked over to the next door. Curious as to what he would find, he walked into the room, and was shocked again. "Is this some kind of bad joke!" he yelled. Before him stood the exact same woman as before. She laughed a little. "No it's not. Bia and me are twins, and Ero is our older sister. I'd thought that you'd react like this." He sighed. "Well then, I don't like you, you don't like me, let's get this over with." She giggled as she walked over to him, tracing his jawline and lips with her rank fingers. "Who said I don't like you?" she murmured. He snorted, and pulled out of her reach. "Stay away from me, you witch! Just test me and then I can leave after I beat your stupid sister." She smiled as she took a step back. "Fine." With a wave of her hand, the scene around them changed. "I am going to test your wisdom. If you solve this, you get to go to Ero. If not, your soul is eternally mine, and you will never see your beloved…" she searched his mind for a moment, "…Bulma again." He growled. "The deal is on, but stay out of my head." She giggled again. "Whatever you say. This is the room where you will be tested for your wisdom. Through that door will come two women, who have a problem, which I will test your capability of being a righteous ruler with. So you just sit down on the throne, and be a rightful King." He grumbled, walked over to the throne, and sat down on it. Sophia walked over to a corner, where she, after a while, became one with the wall. When she had become invisible, the doors burst open, and two screaming women came in, carrying baby, leaded by a man that looked so much like one of Vegeta's guards on Ithaca, that he felt a shudder go through him. He had to keep reminding himself that the entire scene, including the persons, were all a spell, cast to test him. "My King," the guard said. "Permission to speak." Vegeta nodded to him. "Speak." "These two women came to the gates this morning, fighting over…" the man snatched the baby from the quarreling women, "…this child. They asked if you could solve their problem. I said you had no time for such small fights, but they insisted so… so I brought them here." He guiltily looked up at the king, his look telling that he was unsure if he was going to be punished for bothering the king, or not. But Vegeta hardly paid him any attention anymore. He extended his hands for the baby, and the guard quickly shoved the squealing thing into his arms. Vegeta looked at the baby. He could see why the women were arguing so about the child. It was a beautiful baby, with black hair and bright blue eyes. They made him remember his own son when he'd been so small. He then looked at the women. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard after all. One of the women had dark hair, with blue eyes, like the baby, the other woman also had blue eyes, but her hair was blonde. "The baby looks more like her, you're blonde." He told her. The woman shook her head in denial. "No, my King, I dyed my hair. It is really black. The proof is in my eyebrows, they are still dark." That was true, undeniable. Further more, there was nothing to prove that the baby must be of either one of them. Then an idea came to him. "We can ask the doctor!" But the dark haired woman shook her head. "Peleus was born without a doctor, or a nurse. I gave birth to him at home." The other woman got mad. "_I _gave birth to him at home!! Though I now wish I had just gone to the doctor." Vegeta desperately looked from one woman to another, but could not see anything, not even a look exchanged, which would prove who was the real mother. Of course, the black-haired woman was crying, and the blonde on screaming, so Vegeta had a tendency to give the child to the black-haired woman, but she might just be a great actress, so that wasn't the right thing to do. Suddenly, a great plan popped into his head. He called for the guard to take the baby, and grabbed an axe. "Fine. I will cut it in two, and then you can both have half of it." The black-haired one nodded. "Good. Then no one will have him." But the reaction of the blonde one made Vegeta finally pick. "Oh no! Don't kill my baby! Then let her have him, but don't kill him!!" The other woman then smiled, and nodded as she reached out for the child. But at a nod from Vegeta, the guard held it out of her reach. Vegeta then spoke to her. "This child is not yours woman! A real mother would've loved it so much, that she would rather give it away than have it killed." He then grabbed the baby, and gave it to the blond woman. "You have proven that he is yours. Take good care of him." She smiled, and then the scene around him faded. Sophia became visible again, and cursed. "Damn! I've had the souls of so many men and women, and sent them to Hades because I thought them boring, and I just knew that you would be different, that your soul would be great. But nooooo, you had to be the first one to ever defeat me. Bia has been beaten before by that… What was his name again? Ahhh….. Hercules, but he was such a dumbass that I defeated him easily with this problem. I couldn't keep his soul though. Goku wanted it back because he was his son and all. And I wanted your soul so much!!! Why did you have to be this damned intelligent!!!" Vegeta smirked, and with a sigh Sophia opened the door. "Well, you get to go to Ero. I guess she'll like that. She's never been visited by a mortal before. Only gods. Anyways, you just go now. Get out of my room!!" Vegeta left the room to end up in the main hall again. "Temper, temper." He chuckled. "You can say that again." A voice sounded behind him, almost causing him to jump. He spinned around and growled a little, angry that she had surprised him. Ero looked indeed older than her sister did, by what this was caused he did not know, for she looked astounding. Her hair was long and red., her skin slightly tanned, and she was wearing a red dress with a white cape. As soon as he looked her in the eyes, he knew he shouldn't have, for she effortlessly and thoroughly read his mind. "I never knew that the minds of mortals were this easy to read." She smiled as she went through all his memories. First of his childhood, then of Bulma, then the birth of Trunks, and the failure of his plan to try to prevent himself from having to go fight. Then Vegeta's genius trick in the Trojan War. Next all his travels and the seven years on Lunch's island, and his joy, followed by intense sadness at his arrival on Ithaca, a sadness she and her sisters had caused at the order of their father, Piccolo. Then she saw his arrival in their temple, and the fight with her sisters. She pulled away and smiled. "I'm happy that you find me so beautiful, Vegeta. And I'm also glad that you like the remodeling I've done to our place." Vegeta snarled. "Can all you stupid witches read minds or something?" she smiled and nodded. "Well, what is your test?" he asked impatiently. "Just as Bia's name means violence, and Sophia's means wisdom, my name is distracted from Erao-ero, which means longing for a loved one, an intense desire for what is missing. I will test your love for Bulma. This I will do in two different ways, which… Oh, you'll notice." Vegeta cursed, and internally grumbled. _More stupid tests… _she giggled. "Yes Vegeta, more stupid tests." Vegeta jumped, and carefully kept his mind blank, though he could not get this yearning feeling for his Bulma, thugging at the corner of his mind, out of his head. He looked back at the witch, who suddenly dropped her evilness, and looked like a complete innocent, beautiful girl. She walked over to Vegeta, pushed him down, and sat on his lap, which he allowed as a part of the test. She then began stroking his face and hair, as she told him that she had this beautiful peninsula, with trees, and waterfalls, and thousands of flowers, and animals. She described the landscape and the palace, and how beautiful it all was, and Vegeta had to admit that it sounded wonderful. Ero then told him that she wanted him to marry her, and become King of all that beauty. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and told him that she loved him, and that she would be his Queen. Vegeta kissed the innocent girl sitting on his lap, but as soon as their lips met, he remembered another kiss, a better kiss under a lemon-tree in the garden of a beautiful palace. He then remembered an island, _his _island, and a boy and a woman… BULMA! Bulma. Whatever he did, wherever he went, it was always for Bulma, his love. He shoved the witch off his lap in a harsh gesture. "Get off me!!!" She changed back into her earlier figure, drenched with evil. "You were almost there!" she hissed angrily. He shook his head, as if to clear it. "I love Bulma. She is my only love." He answered sternly, as if lecturing her. "Remember that I'm only here to save her." Ero laughed and shook her head. "I was trying to make you forget that fact! But," she went on, "It is clear that I did not succeed in that. Now I want you to prove your love for her to me, but.. you have to figure out how by yourself. As soon as you've convinced me, I will give you the power to restore her soul." Vegeta gaped. "But how? I love her to the depth of my soul, but how do I prove that? You've read my mind, you've seen it!! Why do I have to prove it?" She just smiled and said nothing, as Vegeta marched back and forth in the room, and finally closed his eyes, and floated above the ground in silent meditation. 

Next part will be out ASAP. I've already written it, I only have to type it out. – Marlyne.


	4. Vegeta's love

THE ETERNAL POWER OF TRUE LOVE

THE ETERNAL POWER OF TRUE LOVE

PART FOUR

VEGETA'S LOVE

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, though I've used its characters for the story. I have also gotten some inspiration from the book: 'Odysseus, een man van verhalen' by Imme Dros. I want to say that I do not want to copy her story. It just inspired me to write it in this style.

A/N – Here is my mythological based story, based upon the Odyssey. It will have changed names, and a different ending. I hope everyone will like it. The list of names is below. Hope you like the story. 

__

Vegeta - Odysseus

__

Bulma - Penelopeia

__

Trunks - Telemachos

__

Goku - Zeus (supreme god, god of thunder. Is known to sleep with Other girls than his wife all the time)

__

Chi Chi - Hera (wife of Zeus (also his sister, weird but true), goddess of Marriage)

__

Piccolo - Poseidon (god of the seas, brother of Zeus, creates all storm and earthquakes)

__

Juunanagou - Hermes (messenger of the gods, son of Zeus, famous because he has killed Argos, but that's another story)

__

Juuhachigou - Athena (goddess of wisdom and war, daughter of Zeus (only Zeus, she was born from his head)

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Lunch - Calypso (nymph)

Trunks was dozing off by the fire, listening to the chatter of two girls. He walked over to them, and sent one of them awya to go fetch some wine for him. To fill the silence that followed, he asked the other girl what they'd just been talking about. "Oh, just about Alcaeüs. You know him?" she asked. "Yes, he is a friend of mine. What about him?" "He is going to marry Phyrne, you know, his halfsister. " "Why's that all of the sudden?" he aksed, getting a little annoyed. He hadn't even heard about that. "Well, you know her mother had already died two years ago, and now her father died too, adn she was their only child." "Oh, I see. He was the closest relative, huh?" "Yeah, but it is not just money, he loves her too. But only as a sister. And now Laïda, that's the girl who is getting the wine right now, told me that Solon, you know, that guy from Athens, has now made this new rule that people who have this kind of commitment, have to have sexual contact three times a month, to ensure that the woman would five birth to a boy, a new heir, as soon as possible. But we don't have such a rule here, so Alcaeüs is probably not going to have sex with her, not even once, because he already has a lover. And she has too, but well, you know that's forbidden for a married woman." "Yeah, I know, that's too bad. Maybe I can change that." "Haha! To do that you'd have to be King Vegeta! Or Prince Trunks maybe. Speaking of him… do you know where he is? I was sent to the palace to deliver something, and I decided to stay to see him. My freinds tell me that he is really hot. Laïda especially." She then slapped a hand before her mouth. "Sorry! I know I shouldn't say such things to a man! Oh, damn! I always talk too much! Please don't tell anyone!" she begged. Trunks smiled at her. "Don't worry, I won't." she smiled back at him. "Thanks." At that moment Laïda came back with the wine. "Here you go, Prince Trunks." She said, handing him the glass. "Oh, I see you two have already met. Pan was really dying to meet you, adn I was going to introduce her to you. Oh well, here it goes then: Prince Trunks, this is Pan. Pan, this is…" she stopped as she turned around to her friend, who was now blushing furiously, and was gasping for breath. "…Prince Trunks." Laïda finished unsurely. Trunks burst out in laughter at Pan's expression. Laïda looked at him questioning. "I believe Pan thought I was someone else, didn't you, Pan?" Trunks laughed. Pan quickly bowed for him. "My Prince! Forgive me for those words!" He didn't stop laughing as he extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. "Laïda, could you please leave us?" he spoke kindly. Laïda quickly nodded, and left, a look of confusion on her face. "And, Panny," Trunks chuckled, "what do you think, were Laïda and those girls right about me? I want a honest answer." She bowed her head and whispered something inaudible. "What did you say? Come on, Princes order! Tell me!" "I said that if you were not the Prince he couldn't have been any hotter than you are." She said a little louder. "Why thank you." He smirked. "I'm glad you like me so much!" She turned even redder. "And I must say that I like you too. Tell me, how would you like it to see my rooms? I want to show you the bed." Eros had clearly aimed and shot his arrow at those two. She suddenly lost her shyness and smiled at him. "I'd love to." She wasn't even surprised as Trunks kissed her deeply and lifted her to carry her upstairs. Yet another victory for Aphrodite.

Vegeta, in the meanwhile, had come up with several ideas to prove his love for Bulma to Ero. He had offered to sleep in one bed with Ero for a night, and not touch her, but she had answered. "As much as I like your idea, it proves nothing, only that you desire her body more then mine. And physical love is not what I want you to prove." Then, he had told her that he would give up all his treasures, money, slaves, even Ithaca for her. But Ero had not found it enough. "So you think her worth more than money? That only shows how much she is worth, not how much you love her." Then he had asked Ero if everything he'd been throught, the entire Troyan war, his ten year yourney back, his efforts to beat the suitors of his mate, wasn't enough proof, but she had answered in denial. "You could have done all those things in warrior's and King's honor. You had vowed to fight in the Troyan war, you have suffered for twenty years because you insulted one of the immortal gods, our father Piccolo, and you could have just killed the men for invading your house and threatening your possessions." And now, now Vegeta was at the verge of giving up. If even all those things, everything he'd proved his love with was not enough, then nothing woul dbe. He sighed deeply as he decided to quit. "I give up." He finally spoke, looking Ero directly in the eyes. She smirked. "That will please daddy. Now, what are you waiting for? Leave." He was majorly surprised. "Leave? I thought you'd kill me?" she smirked. "Nope. Don't feel like it." "You can't do this to me!" he yelled "I want to die, I want to go to Hades! I want to see Bulma! Kill me! I can't live without her! I want to die! Kill me!" tears streamed down the once so proud Kings face, at the horrible thought of not seeing his mate again for so long. What he did not know was that this had pulled the trigger. "Damn it! You made it! You did exactly what the rules said!" Ero cursed violently. "All right then. You win. I'll give you the power to call her sould back to her body. Here." She toutched his fingertips, and Vegeta could feel a strange warm sensation flow into him, which was almost too much for his body. It was like his lifeforce had suddenly doubled, and he realized that that was exactly what had happened, he now carried the lifeforce of his beloved too. "Touch her heart with this, and she'll live again. I hate you, Vegeta. Daddy is not going to like this. But Goku is stronger. Now go!" And overjoyed, Vegeta left the temple. As he stood outside, he remembered again what a long walk it would be, because he had already noticed that his flight powers didn't work outside the temple when he was on his way to it. But again, the supreme god came to his rescue. _Hold on, Vegeta. I'll help you with this. Close your eyes. _Vegeta immediately obeyed, and when he opened them again, he found himself in front of the palace. He whispered silent thanks to Goku and ran in as fast as he could. 

Vegeta was standing in front of the bed Bulma was laying on. She looked so cold, so dead. And finally he had the power to revive her, and to hold her, kiss her, make love to her after twenty long years. He softly layed his hand on her heart, as in a soft caress, and felt the double enery leaving his body, and flooding into his mate. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open. "Vegeta…" she whispered, still slightly dazed by the sensations she'd been through. "Bulma, my love…" He bowed down over her, and held her and kissed her as he softly told her everything taht had happened, everything he'd done and been through those past years. And Bulma told him about her life in those years, about how Trunks had grown from the baby he was when Vegeta left, into the young man he was now. They kissed again as Vegeta lifted her, and carried her to the bed he had made himself, on top of a giant tree trunk placed in the middle of their bedroom. Bulma snuggled up against Vegeta's chest, his protective arms holding her. Together, they had conquered it all, they were now forever bonded, bound together with the eternal power of true, deep love. 

From the tip of the mighty Olympos, the immortal gods looked down at them. "You have done well, Juuhachi-chan." Goku slowly spoke. "Thank you, father." Juuhachigou answered, "I'm really glad this all turned out so well. Thanks to the help of Juunanagou, of course." She smiled. "Where is my brother now?" Goku grinned. "I bleive Lunch has switched her spells over to him." Juuhachigou chuckeled. " And here I was, thinking that you and uncle Piccolo were the players!" Chi Chi shot a warning glance to Goku, and answered for him. "Not any more he isn't…" Goku gulped and quickly nodded in confirmation. Piccolo, in the meanwhile, sat in a corner, scowling, arms crossed. Juuhachigou walked over to him. "Come on, uncle Piccolo. Don'tyou think he has payed enough for that one insult? I say, you've been mad at him for the past ten years! Why don't you just go home to aunt Amphitrete and forget it." Piccolo looked at her and with a growl he stood up and stalked out of the room. "Or not…" Juuhachi mumbled, and sighed at the stubborn behavior of her uncle, then shrugged it off. "Oh well, as long as those two are back together." Chi Chi shot one more glance through the clouds, down to the earth, then smiled. "That they are." 

Teluitè

Well, this is the end of my fanfic for Adimra's contest. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it. To make some of the names and actions in all the past chapters clearer, I have some explanations here. First the names. All the names that are in here which are not DBZ names, are from persons who have lived (or are from myths) around the Homeric period, in which this story finds place too. The names I have used for the part in which Trunks and Pan get together, I have all gotten from the book "The love life of the ancient Greeks" by Sofia A. Souli, translated into Dutch by Hanneke Heijstek. All the persons have actually lived in that period, though not in the life I placed them in. Both Phyrne and Laïda were two of the best payed courtisanes in Greece around those years. Phyrne has stood model for several statues of Aphrodite, godess of love and beauty, and both of them were incredibly rich. Alcaeüs was a poet, and lived in the same time as Solon, which was around the Homeric period. His poems have become so famous because of the power and erotism in them. And then there is Solon himself, who was a famous politician in Athens, and one of the seven most famous phylosophers of the ancient Greece. He made the law that Laïda told Pan of. If a girl had inherited all her parents possessions after their death, because there was no male heir, she had to marry a man from the closest kin, to keep the possessions in the family. All the men of the family who were interested would tell this, and the girl was to marry the closest kin. So it was not unusual for family to marry and have sex with eachother. The only family marriage forbidden was between to children from the same mother. But if they had the same father and a different mother, it was perfectly legal. It was even considered wise to do so. Hesodius wrote down that a girl would be best to marry if she was from the same family or close friends, so that she would know the rules of the house she would come to live in. Well, further more… Amphitrete was Poseidons wife (god of the oceans, here represented by Piccolo). Poseidon and Zeus were by far the two gods who cheated and seduced girls the most of all the gods on the Olympos, which caused a huge group of halfgods with supernatural powers to be born, and mingle with the normal mortals. Well, this was all to be said (at least, I sorta count on it that you guys know that Hades is the underworld, where dead people go, and that the Olympos was the mountain where the gods lived on, under the reign of Zeus, so if you didn't know that, you do now). I hope everyone liked my story. Thank you for taking the time to read it. - Marlyne


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